Cost of living in Estonia, prices and what it is like to live for an Expat, quality of life / hardship, and compare cost of living for Expatriates as at July 2020.

What is it like to live in Estonia?

Climate: The climate is maritime with wet, moderate winters and cool summers.

Language: The official language is Estonian (closely related to Finnish). The northern and southern regions speak different dialects of Estonian. Some Estonians (particularly older people) speak German and the number of English speakers is rapidly increasing. Most (though not all) speak Russian, but few are keen to use it and may be offended if they are not addressed in Estonian or English first.

Religion: Christianity.

Economy: The economy of Estonia's is rated as high income by the World Bank. The Estonian economic miracle has often been described as the Baltic Tiger.

Inflation: -1% for Estonia as at June 2020.

Money: The currency of Estonia is the Euro (EUR). ATMs dispense Euros.

Tax: In Estonia is based on the current personal income tax rate which is a flat rate of 20%.

Population: 1.3 Million (2020 est.)

Expat Life: Professional titles are important in Estonia, if someone does not have a professional title, use Härra for Mr, Proua for Mrs and Preili for Miss, followed by their surname. Expatriate dress code is typically conservative, and smart. The safety risk for expatriates in Estonia is low. Risks include low levels of petty crime such as pickpocketing, bag snatching, and vehicle theft.

Health Care: Health care facilities are mostly reasonable, however costs of treatment for expatriates from outside the EU can be high. The Coronavirus COVID-19 total reported cases for Estonia as at 5 August 2020 is 2,113, with 63 deaths. The rate of deaths per 1 million population is 47.

Estonia covers all areas within the country other than Tallinn.

Cost Of Living

What is the cost of living in Estonia?

The cost of living for expatriates in Estonia as at July 2020 is low in comparison to other places in the world, with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 57.58 (New York =100). We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, based on Expat spending norms, in or closest to the location, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Estonia is as follows:

1) Alcohol and/or Tobacco: Cost is average for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$710. Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is USD$11.65, domestic/local beer (500ml) USD$1.99, imported/international beer (330ml) USD$2.31 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is USD$6.55.

2) Clothing: Cost is average for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$880. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$78, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$79, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$100 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$32.

3) Communication: Cost is average for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$180. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$26, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.05 per minute.

4) Education: Cost is average for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30,000 in New York costs USD$23100. Average annual private international school fee (excluding extras) USD$15,059 for Primary School, and USD$16,758 for High School.

5) Furniture & Appliances: Cost is high for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2,500 in New York costs USD$2350. Average price for a 6kg front loader Washing Machine is USD$739, and USD$635 for a 46+'' LED UHD TV.

6) Groceries: Cost is low for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$540. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$1.69, 1 kg oranges USD$1.98, 1 head lettuce USD$1.48, 1 kg potatos USD$0.77, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$7.66, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$10.32, 1 dozen large eggs USD$2.24, 500g loaf white bread USD$1.16, 1 L full cream milk USD$1.07, and 1.5 L water USD$1.03.

7) Healthcare: Cost is very low for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$480. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$39, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,203.

8) Household Accommodation: Cost is low for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5,000 in New York costs USD$1450. Average expatriate house / apartment rent for a secure upmarket unfurnished apartment (3 bedrooms) is USD$1,740 in a central location, and USD$1,114 in a suburban location, per month, excluding utilities.

9) Miscellaneous: Cost is high for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$405. Average price for dry cleaning (1 mens 2 pc suit) is USD$7.91, while an international newspaper is USD$2.43.

10) Personal Care: Cost is low for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$230. Average cost for a mens haircut and blow dry is USD$18, while a womens hair colour, cut and blow dry - medium length is USD$92.

11) Recreation & Culture: Cost is high for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$425. Average price for a latest release international cinema ticket (average of on and off peak where applicable) for one adult is USD$11.65, and an international fitness, recreation or sports club membership cost for one adult is USD$62 per month.

12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: Cost is average for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$640. Average cappuccino price (regular, medium) is USD$3.82, coke/pepsi (330ml) USD$2.52, burger meal (international franchise or similar) USD$8.74, and a mid-range international restaurant meal for 2 USD$61.91.

13) Transport: Cost is average for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$750. Average average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$1.52, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$21,431.

How does the cost of living in Estonia compare?

Estonia is -28.9% cheaper than USA for groceries, -49.5% cheaper for household costs than UK, and 66.3% more expensive for transport costs than India.

What is the quality of life / hardship in Estonia?

Estonia is ranked as an extreme hardship location.The hardship premium for Estonia for an expat from Australia, is for example 30%, i.e. host location (Estonia) premium of 40% minus home (Australia) location premium of 10%.

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